Drive device for an electrically drivable motor vehicle, and motor vehicle

Abstract

A drive device has two electric drive machines for distributing the torque between two wheels of an axle of a motor vehicle and an inverter unit which is electrically connected to the drive machines for converting an electrical DC signal into a drive-machine-specific electrical AC signal. The two drive machines are arranged spaced apart from one another in the axial direction to form an intermediate space, and components of the inverter unit are arranged in a first area, located in the intermediate space and oriented in a first direction transversely with respect to the axial direction, of the drive device, and in a second area, adjoining the intermediate space and oriented parallel to the axial direction, of the drive device, to form a low-inductance, T-shaped inverter architecture.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A drive device for an electrically drivable motor vehicle, the drive device comprising:
 two electric drive machines for distributing torque between two wheels of an axle of the motor vehicle; and 
 an inverter which is electrically connected to the drive machines for converting an electrical DC signal, which is provided by an energy provider of the motor vehicle, into a drive machine-specific electrical AC signal, wherein: 
 the two drive machines are arranged spaced apart from one another in an axial direction to form an intermediate space, wherein the axial direction extends between centers of the drive machines, 
 components of the inverter are arranged in a first region, which is located in the intermediate space and is oriented perpendicular to the axial direction, of the drive device and in a second region, which adjoins the intermediate space and is oriented parallel to the axial direction, of the drive device to form a low-inductance, T-shaped inverter architecture, and 
 at least one of the components of the inverter is arranged along the axial direction between the centers of the drive machines. 
 
     
     
       2. The drive device according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the drive machines are arranged symmetrically in relation to one another along the axial direction. 
 
     
     
       3. The drive device according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the drive machines are n-phase drive machines and the inverter is a 2*n-phase inverter which has, as the components, first components which are jointly usable by both drive machines and drive machine-specific second components, and 
 the first components are arranged in the first region of the drive device and the second components are arranged in the second region of the drive device. 
 
     
     
       4. The drive device according to  claim 3 ,
 wherein the jointly usable first components are at least one of a filter, a DC link capacitor, or a plug-in connector for connection to the energy provider. 
 
     
     
       5. The drive device according to  claim 3 , wherein:
 the drive machine-specific second components are power modules for converting the electrical DC signal, which is provided by the energy provider, into the electrical AC signal for the drive machines, 
 a first power module of the power modules for the first drive machine is arranged on a side of the second region that faces the first drive machine, and 
 a second power module of the power modules for the second drive machine is arranged on a side of the second region that faces the second drive machine. 
 
     
     
       6. The drive device according to  claim 5 ,
 wherein the first power module and the second power module are arranged symmetrically in relation to one another along the axial direction, so that the side of the second region that faces the first drive machine is structurally identical to the side of the second region that faces the second drive machine. 
 
     
     
       7. The drive device according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the drive machines are installed in a second direction transversely with respect to the axial direction and have a cylindrical outer geometry, so that the intermediate space has a funnel-shaped cross section. 
 
     
     
       8. The drive device according to  claim 7 , wherein:
 the drive machines are arranged in a common housing, and 
 an outer contour of a housing top side of the housing follows the cylindrical outer geometries of the drive machines, so that the housing top side has two convex portions, which are formed by the cylindrical outer geometries of the drive machines and are arranged spaced apart from one another, and the intermediate space of funnel-shaped cross section is in a form of a groove-like recess of the housing top side with inwardly curved side walls. 
 
     
     
       9. The drive device according to  claim 8 , wherein:
 the drive machines have connections for electrical connection to the inverter, and 
 the connections are arranged in a region of an apex of the convex portions. 
 
     
     
       10. An electrically drivable motor vehicle comprising the drive device according to  claim 1 .